NEWSLINK Kyiv Post: Residents in bombed buffer zone between Ukraine, Russian-controlled east cling to peace hopes

Avdiivka, a Ukrainian-controlled city on the war front just 10 miles north of Donetsk, is a bizarre buffer zone.

“Neither Ukrainian nor (separatist) Donetsk People’s Republic laws work there,” Alexei, a taxi driver from the village of Ocheretine, northwest of Avdiivka, told the Kyiv Post. Locals say they don’t consider themselves part of either Ukraine or separatist-held areas and, consequently, many — like Alexei –don’t want to be quoted by name about their opinions.